Anything But Ordinary
by Phantom SunsSong
Summary: Jeremy first comes to the boarding school, Odd has a new roommate, and Ulrich and Yumi are falling in love. They become friends and find the factory and Lyoko. The whole thing starts with an extra character: Natalie. But, one question remains unanswered.
1. Sadness and Introductions

**Anything But Ordinary**

Dragon-Grrrrl: I own nothing but the plot and Natalie(she's not in the story yet). Code: LYOKO belongs to it's, uh, creators.

**Chapter One: Sadness and Introductions**

"Do I really have to go to this, this _boarding school_?" Jeremy asked his parents in the front of the car.

"Of course you do," said his father, rather blandly. "Your mother and I are going to America on a business trip for a few years."

"Don't worry, Jeremy, dear. You'll make new friends. You're a very likable boy," his mother added, just as blandly.

But making friends wasn't what Jeremy was worried about. He had never made any friends in his twelve years of life. He was always labeled the outcast, a computer geek. For Jeremy did like computers. He liked learning things, too, and would have liked school if he hadn't always been picked on. But computers were the best, for they held infinite knowledge, if you had the will to seek for it. No, Jeremy was afraid of quite another thing. People. This school was going to have twice as many people in it. And he was going to be forced to be in contact with them at all times.

_At least I have my laptop,_ he thought, brightening just a bit.

"See? It won't be so bad. Just keep a stiff upper lip," his father said, wrongly guessing what he was thinking. Jeremy sighed and ran his fingers through his short, blonde hair, then adjusting his glasses. He wore a plain blue turtleneck and pair of jeans. On his knees was his laptop, at his side a knap sack full of extra clothes, computer gear, and various computer manuals.

The car slid to a stop in front of a large building.

"Well, here you go, Jeremy," his father said.

"Goodbye, sweetie, see you soon!" Jeremy's mother said giddily, waving. Then, the car sped off down the road, until it was lost to Jeremy's line of vision. He sighed and turned to the school, looming above him. He had half hoped his parents would have left, then come back immediately and tell him it had all been a joke and he was going back home.

_Might as well get this over with, _He thought to himself and approached the school.

Odd walked up to his room. He was at boarding school, again. Last year he'd been alone, thankfully, but Jim, the P.E. teacher, told him that he'd have a roommate.

Odd's nickname fit him pretty well. He wore a purple long-sleeve shirt with pants that were half black and half purple. His blonde hair was one big spike on top of his head with a big purple blotch in the middle. His full name was actually Oswald, which he hated, but everyone had called him Odd for as long as he could remember.

He opened the door to his room, to find his roommate already there. His short hair was brown, his face seemed set in an almost permanent scowl. He wore a dark green shirt and black jeans. Odd remembered seeing him a couple times with a Japanese girl with black hair and a matching black outfit who was a year older then they were.

"I'm Ulrich," The boy said, sticking out his hand to shake.

"The name's Odd. Nice to meetcha!" Ulrich seemed taken back for a second by Odd's joyfulness, then grinned.

"Want me to help you unpack? I'm already finished."

Yumi, Ulrich's "friend", walked down the hall, looking for Ulrich's room. She had been overjoyed when he had called her and told her his new room number, towards the end of the summer. She had thought he'd forgotten about her. Yumi went to the school, but wasn't a boarder. Her parents lived close enough to the school that she could walk to it each day, while Ulrich's parents lived out of town. He had gone home for the summer, and Yumi's worst fear was that he had found someone he liked more than her. She wasn't worried about that anymore, though. Until she heard two voices in the room, one Ulrich's.

She knocked and let herself in.

"Hi Yumi. This is Odd, my roommate." The boy with blonde hair with purple blotch grinned evilly at them.

"Ulrich, is this your _girlfriend_??"

"No!" Both Ulrich and Yumi said at once, blushing.

"I was just _joking_, jeese."

Dragon-Grrrrl: That was chapter one! Yaay!! And some things with Jeremy's parents may be different from the show, but I DON'T CARE!!!!!

Yusuke: Well, if you asked _me_-

Dragon-Grrrrl: Which I didn't.

Yusuke:- Jeremy's a bit OOC.

Dragon-Grrrrl: Really. DUH!!! It's the beginning of everything, and he's never had friends before now. Of course he's different. I fancy him as a softer Artemis Fowl, at the moment. A cold genius.

Yusuke: You're screwy.

Dragon-Grrrrl: GG

Yusuke: Toldja. Why aren't I in it?

Dragon-Grrrrl: I dunno. You might be, then get erased from their minds... Maybe you could help them get through their first X.A.N.A attack... Ulrich and Yumi are reluctant to voice their opinions to each other just yet... And Odd being short for Oswald I made up. I just couldn't quite believe his full name was Odd, so I made it short for something. Seeya next chappie!

(Note: Why Yusuke knows what Jeremy's personality is like I wouldn't know. And, unlike TED, this IS NOT prewritten! I NEED IDEAS!!!)


	2. Natalie and the Factory

**All I own is Natalie and the plot!**

**Chapter Two: Natalie and the Factory**

Natalie, too, approached the school. In fact, she stood next to Jeremy as he looked at it emotionlessly. She turned to him and smiled, and the blonde-haired smiled feebly back. The girl had strawberry blonde hair and golden brown eyes. She wore a maroon sweater with a light pink jacket hung loosely over it and a short skirt that matched her sweater.

"Hi," Natalie said, staring at Jeremy. "I'm Natalie. I'm new here. Who are you?"

"I-I'm Jeremy. I'm new, too."

"Well, Jeremy, why don't we go in together?"

"S-sure." The two kids walked up to the doors and went in.

As it turned out, Natalie and Jeremy's rooms were right next to each other, and Jeremy got his first friend. It wasn't going so smoothly with Odd and Ulrich, however. Ulrich hadn't realized Odd was quite as 'off his rocker', so to speak, as he was. Or, maybe 'off his bed' is more accurate.

"Mmmf! Owowow! I hit my knee!"

"I told you that you were going to fall off." Ulrich looked over his textbook to look at his roommate on the floor. Sure, Odd was fun to hang out with, but being with him 24/7 was a little much. Odd scowled at him and sat down on his bed. He'd tried jumping on it, but something gave and he slipped off.

"Maybe you should try sleeping on your bed instead of jumping on it."

"Shut up, Ulrich." Ulrich sighed and resumed studying.

Suddenly, there was a brisk, hard knock at the door. Ulrich answered it. At the door was Jeremy, mad that his computer had hit the floor from the vibrations from Odd falling off his bed.

"What are you two trying to do, kill each other?"

"No, Odd fell off his bed."

"How? Was he asleep?"

"Nooooo…. He was jumping on it."

"Could you please tell him to stop? He nearly wrecked my computer!"

"Oh, Jeremy, leave them alone. I fixed your computer." Out from the room next to Ulrich and Odd's came Natalie in her P.J.'s. Odd, so transfixed with Natalie, again fell 'off his bed', but not for the same reason as before. Before anyone could say 'Are you okay', Odd was up and at the door.

"Hi. I'm Odd. I don't believe we've met."

"You know, saying 'I'm odd' first off whenever you meet someone does not leave the best of impressions."

"No, my _name_ is Odd."

"Is it short for something?"

"Oswald, but-"

"Okay. I was just over in Jeremy's room. He was showing me some stuff with his computer." With that statement, Jeremy blushed and Odd's face fell. (Note: This was what Odd heard. Natalie: Okay. I was over in Jeremy's room. Blah, blah, blah.)

"So Jeremy's your boyfriend?"

"No! Of course not!" Jeremy and Natalie said, Natalie blushing along with Jeremy.

"Well, then, would you want to go get ice cream with me sometime?" Odd looked at her, trying to be masculine.

"Are you asking me on a date?" Natalie was smiling.

"Would you go if I was?"

"Yes," she said, smiling wider, "And sure, I'll go with you." Then, without really thinking, the two went back to their rooms and Jeremy and Ulrich were left in the hallway, still not sure what was going on.

As it turned out, much to Odd's dismay, everyone went to the ice cream parlor. Yumi and Ulrich shared a chocolate milkshake as Odd ate a sundae and Natalie licked a vanilla ice cream cone. Jeremy absently sipped a soda. He was looking at a big manufacturing building that looked run down and empty.

"Hey, Ulrich," he said, turning towards him. "What was that factory used for?"

Ulrich squinted and said, "Oh, that old place? It was used to create electronics and stuff when it was in use. Big old computers made by a private owner."

"Sounds interesting," Jeremy replied absently. "Has anyone ever gone in?"

"Oh, lots of people. But no one can get higher than the first floor because of an encrypted elevator. Needs a password to work."

"Really," Jeremy said, smiling almost evilly. "I bet I could break the code. We could get in, look around." He turned to Ulrich.

"I bet there's all kinds of cool technology up there."

"Yeah," Natalie said, standing up, "And it would give us something to do. We don't have any classes today, and it's only ten 'o' clock."

"Well, I don't-"

"Oh, Ulrich, it'll be fun!" Yumi pulled Ulrich out of his seat and Natalie did likewise with Odd.

"Sounds cool!" Odd said, running ahead to get to the factory.

Dragon-Grrrrl: Wow, that's a long chapter for me.

Odd: Really? How intresting…

Dragon-Grrrrl: Why?

Odd: Huh? I didn't say anything.

Dragon-Grrrrl: -.-

Odd: :)

Dragon-Grrrrl: Thanx 4 the review, UlrichandYumi4Ever! You really thought that part was funny? Thank you for not laughing at me! Oh, and next they find Lyoko and meet Aelita, and have their first battle with X.A.N.A. The last thing may be multiple chapters.

Odd: /_in announcer-like voice/_ Tune in next time for another exciting installment of **_Anything But Ordinary_**!!!!

Dragon-Grrrrl: Yeah. Okay. Whatever.

Odd: :)

Dragon-Grrrrl: Can't I have the last say?

Odd: Nope. :)

Dragon-Grrrrl: Okay. ;)


	3. Aelita and Natalie's Lyoko Outfit

**Hi! Dragon-Grrrrl here! Sorry I took so long, but I had to do a major book repot that had to be typed out. In fact, I just turned it in yesterday! I think it was, uh, ten pages of type and hand drawn pictures. I'm actually pretty good at drawing, especially dragons. Now on to chappie three! I own Natalie and now her Lyoko person! And the plot!**

**Chapter Three: Aelita and the Factory**

"Whoa," was all that any of the group said as they approached the gigantic factory. They had crossed a long bridge on the other side of town to get there, and they were amazed at the sheer size of the place.

"Well," Jeremy finally said, "let's go in." With that, they proceeded inside.

The whole factory was a dark, mangled mess of wires, cobwebs, old equipment, and other things a little too gross to talk about. Sounds of the random scuttling of rats, mice, and other vermin made their way to the teens' ears and scared the heck out of them. But none of them were quick to show their fear.

"Hey, look," Ulrich said, pointing to a large pillar in the middle of the room. "An elevator! I wonder if it still works?" They inspected it and Jeremy decided it did, in fact, still work.

"And I can crack the code for the dial, too." Within seconds, Jeremy had opened the elevator and they were going up.

On the next floor up was a giant computer system, a mess of cables, wires, and other technical stuff. Jeremy wanted to inspect it, but everyone else wanted to go up to the next floor.

The next floor up was even more incredible.

"Oh my God," Jeremy gasped. It was a control panel for the mega computer one floor down, equipped with everything a computer genius could dream of, let alone want. What looked like a 3D projector stood in the middle of the room, along with a table for the monitor and keyboard. All it needed was the monitor and keyboard.

Luckily, Jeremy had his laptop and began to work at unraveling the secrets of the super computer. Everyone else knew that they wouldn't get Jeremy away this time and decided to go on up without him.

"We're gonna go up to the last floor, Jeremy," Natalie said before turning and going with the others to the elevator.

On the last floor were pods. Not like pea pods, futuristic ones like you would see on _Star Trek_ that they use to teleport people.

There were four in all and they were just big enough for them. Suddenly, a light flashed inside them and everyone jumped and ran to the elevator.

Jeremy was talking to himself. Or, at least, that's what they thought until they heard a voice talk back from inside the computer.

"You are from, Earth? I do not know of there. Is it nice?" The voice was feminine and coming from Jeremy's laptop.

"It's okay, I guess. But I bet living in a computer is even better."

"There is never anything to do. No one to talk to… Well, not since my creator said he had to go." Everyone gathered around the screen. On it was the head of a pink haired Asian girl.

"Who are they, Jeremy?"

"These are my friends, Aelita. Ulrich, Yumi, Odd, and Natalie. Guys, this is Aelita. She's a computer program, in a computer-designed world called Lyoko. And," Jeremy brought up a couple of screens, showing four different digitally created pictures. One showed a kimono girl in an orange(?) kimono wielding a razor sharp throwing fan. The second was a boy with a purple cat outfit, complete with black stripes and a tail. His weapons were arrowheads shot at an incredible speed by pressing a button on his arm. The third character was a young samurai with a long katana (I'm guessing it's a katana) and wearing an orange(?) tight-fitting suit and a white headband. The last character was an angel with gigantic feathery wings and wearing a billowing white shirt tucked into tight white jeans. Her weapons are arrows of light and a bow slung across her back. (I made that up for Natalie! )

"I can transport you guys into the word. I've tinkered with it enough that I know how. It's quite easy and absolutely safe," Jeremy assured them. "Just pick a character." (you should know who is who, so I'm not going through it) Once the four were in, they went to Lyoko.

(note: I am now DG, because Dragon-Grrrrl takes to long to write)

DG: Hi!

Natalie: I'm here today!

DG: Soooo… How was today's installment?

Natalie: Overdue.

DG: Sor-ry. :P

Natalie: :P Alright. DG has two polls for the viewers! BOTH ARE ABSOLUTELY NOT REQUIRED!

1. What do you think of Natalie's character in Lyoko?

A. It's awesome!

B. It's okay.

C. It sucks.

D. I can do better than THAT! Suggestion:

If I see a suggestion I like better, I'll change mine! No revealing stuff- something bright and fluffy. I'd prefer to keep the bow and arrows, but a crossbow might also be cool, or a sling. I'd like wings, too. But please, no black. She isn't a black kind of girl. Stick to white, yellow, pink, light blue, or light green.

2. What should be my next writing topic?

A. Danny Phantom

B. Tamora Pierce

C. Digimon

If you've never heard of any of them, here are their descriptions:

Danny Phantom: 14 year-old Danny Fenton is a normal teenage kid, if you don't count his ghost-hunting parents and sister whose life dream is to be a child psychiatrist. He was, anyway, until something in one of his parent's experiments goes wrong and he turns into a ghost kid! Now he has to deal with school, love, AND trying to keep the world safe from the evil ghosts that terrorize his town!

Tamora Pierce: All of Tamora Pierce's many series, including Protector of the Small and the Circle of Magic Quartet, are about extraordinary girls and women who become knights and mages in an era were girls are considered housewives and inferior. Placed in a magical medieval world! (Awesome books for girls, BOYS STAY AWAY!!)

Digimon: The various seasons (four groups of kids in all) are about kids who save the two worlds, Real World and Digital World, with the help of creatures called digimon. Yes, I know that there is also the spirit things, but if I write one the characters will have digimon.

DG: And a big thank you to YumiAndUlrich4Ever and Iwo Jima fallen one for their reviews! Keep 'em comin'!! I'm so happy that people enjoy my work! I almost thought everyone would say I suck! Also, if the color of any of the character's costumes are wrong, and I think they are, tell me! It's been awhile since I've watched the show… Bad me… Bye!


	4. Lyoko and XANA

**Hi! Sorry for the long wait! I'm back, and I have recently seen some episodes of CL, and I'm ready to write! I have the results of the polls!**

**Poll 1:**

**2**

**0**

**0**

**0 Thanks for liking my character!! **

**Poll 2:**

**0**

**1**

**1**

**Since there is a tie, I will write a crossover! At the end I will have a list of the characters and another poll!! Thank you my reviewers, UlrichandYumi4Ever, who has encouraged me since I started, and renayumi04, who just put in their first review! Nice to know that there are new people reading this!! Now, enough chatting, on to the story! **

**Chapter Four: Lyoko and X.A.N.A.**

"This is… Weird." The four teens stood in the middle of a winter wonderland, but with dark pits off the frozen ice that seemed to go down into nothingness. Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd fell hard on their bottoms when they entered Lyoko, but Natalie hovered gently over their heads. She glided past them, admiring the glistening ice and snow.

"But," she continued, touching a wall of ice, "It's not at all cold. I could get used to this."

"What is cold?" The group turned around and looked at the girl that had been in the computer, Aelita, big as life.

"Well, it's…" Natalie started, then stopped and thought.

"How _would_ you describe cold?" Odd asked no one in particular. "Cold is just, cold."

"It's like a low temperature," Yumi explained.

"What is a temperature?"

"This is hopeless," Ulrich said, shaking his head. "You'd have to experience it to know."

"Oh, I understand."

"I have a question," Odd said, raising his hand. "Why do we have these weapons?"

"I am not entirely sure," Aelita said. "But come with me. I want to show you something." Aelita led the teens to a big white tower. Leading up to it was a long path of thin looking ice over a pit of nothingness. Once they had shakily crossed the thin bridge, they looked a strange hieroglyphics.

"This," Aelita said, "Is writing I found on towers like these. They are all over the many regions of Lyoko, and they all look the same. But I have been able to decipher it. It says;

"_When Humans once again return to Lyoko, the Keeper must allow them in, and the Great God will once again reign over both worlds."_

"I am the Keeper it speaks of, and you must be the Humans," Aelita said, turning to them.

"Okay, that's all figured out," Odd said, "but who is this Great God dude?" Suddenly, Natalie pushed past him and looked at the bottom of the tower.

"Hey, what's this?" She scraped dirt away from the bottom of the tower revealing more words. Aelita looked, too. She read the words, and her face paled.

"What's it say?" Ulrich and Yumi both asked. Aelita gulped, then read;

"_Should this happen, the Humans must free the Keeper from her prison and kill the Great God once and for all, sealing it's evil in an unbreakable tomb and saving both worlds. If they don't succeed, they will perish."_

Once she had read that, black roots erupted from the ground, covering the writing. Once they had stopped, words began to appear in them, like someone took their finger and smeared the roots to make letters;

**Oh, my, you have found the words I have hidden. Naughty, naughty children. You must be punished.**

Then, more black roots shot out of the ground, wrapping themselves around the land-bound teens. Luckily, the couldn't reach Natalie.

She tore four arrows out of her quiver and grabbed her bow, loaded it, and shot at the vines. They retreated, then began wrapping themselves around the small bridge, and broke it. Then, out of nowhere, came five giant black bowling balls. (guess what they are) on them were yellow eyes, or what looked like eyes. Once again, letters appeared on the tower.

**YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME!! I SHALL KILL THE KEEPER, THEN YOU CANNOT SHUT ME DOWN, FOR I AM X.A.N.A, THE GREAT GOD, RULER OF EARTH AND LYOKO! I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!!**

Then, the balls opened up, revealing an inside full of what looked like red silly putty and a metal rod with the eye in the middle. The eye began to glow red, and the teens heard Jeremy's voice yell, "HIT THE EYE!! HURRY!" Scared into action, Odd shot arrow heads into the eyes of two of the balls, Natalie stuck an arrow in another, Ulrich sliced it in two with a sword, and Yumi stuck her metal fan into the last.

"Now, Aelita, into the tower!"

"But-"

"Just walk into it!" Aelita did what Jeremy said, and saw the blue touch screen appear. Code? Appeared, and Jeremy said, "The code is 'Aelita'." Aelita put in the code, and Jeremy said, "Return to the past, now."

DG: I'm gonna leave ya hangin'! Not!!

The next thing Natalie, Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi knew, they where standing behind Jeremy, ready to choose their characters.

"Calm down, Aelita, it's okay."

"No, it is not!" The girl was again on the computer screen, looking out at them. She seemed close to tears.

"I let X.A.N.A. out, and I don't know what to do to out him back!"

"It's too late now," Jeremy said calmly. "The damage is done. Now, he can hack into any computer he wants to, and we have to stop him."

"What just happened?!" Yumi asked, frantic.

"I did a little more research on Lyoko while you guys were running around with Aelita. I hacked into it and found out what it was about. Then I found X.A.N.A., the prophecy, and how to stop him. I figured that Aelita was going to accidentally awaken him, so I paid special attention to the last part. I found out how to shut him down, temporarily and permanently. What I just did was temporary." Jeremy didn't look at them.

"Well, then, how do we do it permanently?" Ulrich asked.

"You have to shut down Lyoko. That means kill Aelita."

Ulrich muttered an 'Oh', then shut up.

"We'll have to keep him at bay until I can figure out a way to bring her here, to Earth, like the prophecy says."

"So, we'll have to save the Earth every time he comes up?" Odd asked.

"Yep," Jeremy said. "And we'll never be sure when he'll show up. Probably when something threatens lives. And," Jeremy turned to the whole group, "If there are any casualties, the first will more than likely be us." They all stared at him, blank.

"I am so sorry," Aelita's voice said, coming from the computer, "I caused all this." Jeremy turned back to the screen.

"It would have happened sooner or later, Aelita. Don't blame yourself. We've gotta go now. If anything looks out of place, you can contact me on my lap top, 'kay?"

"Alright, Jeremy." Then the computer turned off and they walked back to school, silent.

Later, when Odd and Ulrich went back inside their room, they looked at the clock. They had been at the ice cream parlor at ten. Their digital clock said 10:05.

**How was _that_ for a chapter? Oh, here's the next poll I promised, for the next story I'm going to write, the digimon/tamora pierce story! It's a character poll! Pick 4 of the characters listed. Next chapter will be a poll for digimon for the TP characters, 'kay? Here you go! **

**Tamora Pierce**

**A. Briar Moss (plant mage)**

**Age: 11**

**Briar lived on the streets in a gang until he was picked up by Niklaren Goldeye, a mage from Winding Circle Temple. His teacher is Rosethorn.**

**Trisana Chandler (weather mage)**

**Age: 11**

**A girl with a fiery temper and magic that was hard to control, she was passed from relative to relative among her family until she was taken to Winding Circle by her future teacher, Niklaren Goldeye.**

**C. Sandrilene fa Toren (thread magic)**

**Age: 11**

**Sandry is an out spoken noble whose parents died in a horrific epidemic. She was locked in a closet magicked to be unseeable until she was rescued by Niklaren. Her teacher is Lark.**

**D. Daja Kisubo (metal mage)**

**Age: 11**

**Daja's family was killed when their boat sank during a storm. She would have died, too, if Niklaren Goldeye hadn't found her. Her teacher is Frostpine.**

**Keladry**

**Age: 11**

**A girl raised in a place much like ancient Japan, she came back to her homeland wanting to become a lady knight.**

**Nealan **

**Age: 14**

**Kel's best friend. He's got magic in healing and a smart mouth. **

**Merric**

**Age: 11**

**A red headed boy with a short temper, but stands by his friends. One of Kel's other friends.**

**Alright, here's the thing for the Digimon characters. Everyone reading this, create a character with a digimon, from our timeline. I don't care if they have magical powers, so knock yourself out. Not literally, please. If there are more than four, I will pick four of them, and if there are less, I will make the rest. 'Kay? And I will notify who owns the characters when I write the story, so they are totally yours! Here's an example of one way to tell me your character.**

Name: Alexis

Gender: Female

Hair color: Blonde

Eye color: Blue

Digimon(rookie-mega): Dragonmon, Nightmon, WarNightmon, MetalNightmon

Digimon Description: black dragon

Crest: Self-Sacrifice

Outfit: Baggy black jeans, black tank top, black leather jacket, black hair tie

Personality: Has few friends, but is loyal to the ones she has. Despises anyone that follows the crowd.

**You may make up a crest for your character, like I did. And hair and eye color doesn't need to be natural. Be creative. Sense of style is optional, but I need an outfit.**

**Alright, that's all for now!**


	5. Chapter 5: Aelita Calls and Ulrich Gets

**I know, OMG, I'm updating. Don't rub it in. Anyway, this is more a comic relief chapter with a little spat between Ulrich and Odd with Jeremy intervening, but funny nonetheless. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Five: Aelita Calls and Ulrich Gets a Bloody Nose**

It had been a week since the incident with Aelita and X.A.N.A., and everything had pretty much gone back to normal, but the incident remained fresh the teens' minds. They all wondered when X.A.N.A. would make its next move. In fact, it was _exactly_ a week after the first attack that the second began, but it wasn't limited to Lyoko this time.

_Dingdingding!_ "Jeremy! Something strange is happening!"

"Wah?" Jeremy groggily looked up, seeing that his computer was on. Eyes wide, he saw Aelita.

"Aelita! What are you doing on my computer at this time of night?" It was easy to tell it wasn't time to get up yet, seeing as the sun hadn't even started to come up.

"Something's happening!" She said. She and Jeremy had kept in touch all through the week, and he had asked her to tell him anything strange.

"There are these strange pulsations, coming from another part of Lyoko. I think they might be X.A.N.A." Jeremy sat back in his swivel chair for a moment, then finally said, "Okay, you find the source. I will wake up everyone else." He got up and the screen flickered off. Opening the door, Jeremy peeked outside both ways. No Jim. Taking a deep breath, he snuck out, closed the door, and gently opened Odd and Ulrich's room. They were both asleep.

"Guys, wake up! Something's gong on in Lyoko!" Ulrich, who was apparently a light sleeper, woke up instantly. Odd yawned and started snoring. So, Ulrich got right in front of Odd's face and said, quite loud, but not loud enough to alert Jim, "Odd, Natalie's here." He instantly sat up, giving Ulrich a bloody nose.

"Really? Where!" Jeremy rolled his eyes. One track mind.

"God, Odd, you broke my nose!" Ulrich exclaimed, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Oops, sorry. But where's Natalie?"

"She's not here. We needed to wake you up because Aelita just said something weird is going on in Lyoko. We have to get to the lab," Jeremy said. Odd thought for a moment while Ulrich stuffed Kleenex up his nostrils.

"Hey, last year me and some buddies played down in that old underground pipe in the park." The other two blinked.

"Anyway, it leads all the way to the bridge out in front of the lab. How cool is that?" Jeremy grinned.

"Alright! Let's get the girls. Ulrich, you call Yumi. Odd and I will go get Natalie." Ulrich frowned, nose finally having stopped bleeding thanks to Kleenex brand tissues.

"What makes you think I know Yumi's cell number?"

"Oh, just that you're practically in love with each other but won't admit it," Odd said mockingly.

"Why you little-"

"Enough, enough. Just call her." Jeremy pulled Odd out of the room, and Ulrich grudgingly took out his cell phone, found her number in his save bank, and pressed a button.

Okay, R&R! Sorry about the wait, Writers Block, you know. But I really want to get to The Perfect Weapon (on my bio) but I can't give you any details. Would spoil it.


	6. Chapter 6: XANA Strikes

**This came a lot sooner than I thought! Shows you what a bit of modivation like watching T.V. can do for you. Anyway, I've recently heard a rumor that answering reviews can literally get you kicked of the site. Meaning, sorry guys, no replying to reviews until I find out whether that is fat or fiction. If anyone knows, tell me!**

**Also, about the poll… The story is just going to be Digimon. Really, Digimon/Tamora Pierce would be a difficult combo, so I've divided them. A Digimon story, Digimon: Online, will be a new story for me in the future, as will Dragon Weaver, a story from the Circle of Magic Quartets, after the second one. To learn more about them, look at my lookup thing. I do need characters for the Digimon story! Either put it into a review for THIS story, or, if you are on either Neopets or Max you can drop me a line there. I cannot give out my e-mail for various reasons, all of them concerning my parents. Enough chit-chat, let's get to the chapter!**

**Chapter Six: X.A.N.A. Strikes**

Once Odd had changed out of his pajamas, he and Jeremy sneaked out quietly into the corridor. It was a quick and silent dash to Natalie's room, where they knocked none too loudly. There was a shuffling from inside and the door was opened a crack. To both their amazement, the light was still on inside.

"What!" Natalie hissed. "I'm _reading_!"

"At this hour?" Odd asked, curious. "Isn't it a bit-"

"Aelita contacted me a while ago," Jeremy said hurriedly. "She thinks X.A.N.A. is up to something. We have to get to the lab!"

"Alright, hold on." The door slammed, only to open a second later, revealing a disgruntled Natalie in a large shirt and long sweats, hair hanging at either side of her face. Odd stared for a moment before shaking his head.

"Ready," she said, then her eyes widened as she looked behind them.

"Ready for what?" Odd and Jeremy whirled and came face-to-face with none other than the infamous Jim.

"We, um-" Jeremy racked his mind for an answer.

"Just a walk in the moonlight, sir. Eh, you know, the beauty of night and stuff?" Jeremy about screamed in frustration. Could Odd have said anything stupider?

"Er, well, that's against school rules, wandering at night. Go on and go to bed now, shoo!" Natalie hurried back into her room and Odd and Jeremy sped off around the corner, where they peeked until Jim was gone.

"I can't believe he fell for it!" Odd chuckled.

"Neither can I," Jeremy mumbled. They tip toed back to Natalie's room, and they were off. Sneaking out, they met Ulrich and Yumi outside in the park.

"Okay," Jeremy said authoritively. "Game plan. Natalie, Yumi, Odd, and I will go to the Factory. Ulrich, we need you to stay here and man the fort, so to speak."

"But-!"

"C'mon, Ulrich," Yumi said, short tempered. "We need you here, in case X.A.N.A. tries anything!" Ulrich finally nodded with a sigh.

"Right." Jeremy nodded. "Drop us a line if anything weird happens." The group raced of, purple-clad Odd in the front, as Ulrich stood behind. He shook his head before walking back inside. He didn't notice the flickering lights, or that one bore a symbol much like an eye before exploding in a shower of bright sparks that ignited the grass below.

It wasn't long before the group found the abandoned manhole. Odd lifted the cover, admitting the others before lowering himself in and pulling it back in place.

They ran along the pipe, the less athletic Jeremy and Natalie panting.

"We need to get something down here," Jeremy gasped.

"Yeah," Natalie agreed. "Like a skate board or a scooter."

They eventually found another manhole cover that led to the bridge that led to the factory. They climbed up and started running for the Factory. Around they went, climbing finally to a functional elevator. Jeremy punched in the code and up they went.

Jeremy stayed in the main computer room, turning it on and immediately seeing Aelita's face.

"I found it! It's coming from the Mountain Region." Jeremy nodded absently, typing away and readying the materialization process.

"We're here," Yumi's voice finally said through the headphone with mouth piece he had put on.

"Okay. Climb in and we're good to go. Going to the Mountain Region."

Yumi, Odd, and Natalie got into their separate pods and a bright light flashed within each one simultaneously.

Welcome to Lyoko.

**R&R, people!**


	7. Chapter 7: Leaping Flames

**Yeah, uh huh, I rock. Another chapter! _shoots confetti _Anyway, next chapter or the one after will be the last. I cut it a bit short. Just don't kill me after you read the next chapter, alright? I HAD to do it! Had to! And… Well, you'll see. But you won't like it. **

**Chapter 7: Leaping Flames**

"Oh, good, you're here," Aelita said when they had finally arrived.

"Which way, princess," Odd said jokingly, bowing. Natalie whacked him upside his head.

"Stop goofing! We have to get going. Who knows what X.A.N.A.'ll do!" They all hurried off, following Aelita.

Meanwhile, the flames were growing. They had soon burned away all the grass around the lamp, reaching upward for more fuel. They caught on a wooden beam of the school, instantly growing in intensity. The beam burned away, ashes falling to the ground, and the roof fell with it. Someone screamed, and Ulrich ran outside.

Sissy, the principal's daughter, had been caught under the falling roof.

"Help!" She screamed desperately. Ulrich lunged, just as another part of the roof began to fall. He knocked the girl out of the way, but was hit in the back by flaming shingles. Sissy stared shocked for a moment, staring at the now unconscious Ulrich. The flames were quickly burning through his clothes, burning his skin. In a quick second decision, Sissy jumped to her feet and ran, screaming, inside the school.

"Help! Help! A boy has been hurt! HELP!"

The party was running for only a few minutes when Jeremy's voice echoed around them, like it had the first time they had entered Lyoko.

"Watch out, guys. There's something approaching." Jeremy pressed a couple of keys, bringing up a page. A small, hornet looking creature transparent wings, a large stinger, and the same strange eye that was on the bowling ball appeared on the page.

"It is some kind of monster," Jeremy said to the other teens. "These guys can fly. Get ready."

"We don't need telling twice," Odd said. He could already see the things. He lifted his arm, taking careful aim, and shoot. Unfortunately, he hadn't had much of a chance to practice his shot, and ended up missing by at least a yard.

"Lemme try," Natalie said, pulling out three arrows. She loaded all three at once. Two of the arrows hit dead on, and the creatures fell from the sky, exploding into data. The last lifted its tail and shot a stinger that hit Natalie in the chest. She was thrown back, but not all that much worse for wear.

"That didn't even hurt…" She muttered.

"You just lost twenty life points, Natalie. Watch it, another hit like that will put you out of commission."

"Life points?" Yumi asked as she pulled out her weapon, a metal fan. She'd had a little practice of using a Frisbee, so she tried throwing it, but missed the target. To her surprise, it whirled around and came back, like a boomerang. She caught it in an outstretched hand.

"Yes," Jeremy replied. "This is just like a game. You get hurt by a monster, you loose life points. You loose them all, poof, you're back here and get to watch the action with me.

"Gotcha, Jeremy," Odd said. He fired one last arrow, and actually managed to hit the monster.

"Let's go," Aelita said. "We have to stop X.A.N.A."

Jim was the first one to hear Sissy's cries.

"A boy? Hurt? Where!"

"Ow-outside," she sobbed. "He saved me, but got trapped under the burning roof."

"Burning?" Jim hurried outside and saw the still form of Ulrich, his back covered in flames. He pulled the boy out from under the part of roof. The back of the shirt he'd been wearing was completely burned away, revealing blackened flesh. If the boy wasn't already dead, the chances of him surviving looked slim to none.

Jim hefted him onto his shoulder and hurried to the Infirmary. The flames were already going down, their target reached. All that could happen now was waiting.

The others, while not taking their time, were oblivious to what had happened to their comrade. They hurried forward as Jim hurried to get Ulrich to a doctor. The tower they needed to reach was in sight, all they had to do was jump on the little moving rocks and cross the ravine, without getting shot to pieces by the hornet things.

"I can get Aelita across," Natalie said from above, "but you guys will have to cover me." Natalie grabbed Aelita's waist and the two jumped into the air. Natalie flew forward, trying to catch the giant bugs off guard, as Odd shot of arrows and Yumi threw her fan. Yumi hit one, and Odd another, but the last one shot a laser at Aelita. Natalie twisted to where the bolt hit her instead, and disinigrated into data. Aelita fell from her arms.

**R&R, or you won't see another chapter! Well, you probably will, but that's against the point. JUST PUSH THE BUTTON!**

**Odd: _pushes self destruct button_**

**Not that button! Uh, buh-bye. _everything explodes, while you stare at the screen in shock_**


	8. Chapter 8: Bye, Bye XANA

**Hi, guys! More chapters than I last predicted, sorry. Also, sorry for shortness of this chapter. I promise a longer one next time. Also, sorry for slow update. I've had basketball still, but it ends around the 28th. Not doing volleyball this year, so you don't have to worry about that enter fearing. Nothing until Pep Band and Scholastic Bowl starts. By then, I should have this done. I predict four more chapters of this, tops, and I'll hurry about it. Only one for TTL.**

**Chapter 8: Bye, Bye X.A.N.A.**

Ulrich was on his way to the hospital, the ambulance jerking back and forth. Attendants did their best with him in the moving vehicle, but they wondered if the boy would survive the trip. His burns were bad, oozing clear liquid, and his breaths were shallow. It was only a matter of time…

Jeremy watched in horror as Aelita fell. She screamed and clawed at the air, unable to get anything like a grip, and continued falling into the abyss below the landforms… A purple steak leaped and caught Aelita. Somehow, the jump made it across to the other piece of land. Odd skidded to a halt, the pink haired girl in his arms.

"Thank you," she gasped.

"No problem, Princess," he replied with a cheeky grin as he set her back on her feet. His attention turned to the remaining hornet thing, and aimed his arrow.

"Die, wasp." The arrow head hit the 'eye' of the monster, and it disintegrated. "And on we go," Odd continued with a sigh. The diminished group moved on, getting closer to the tower by jumping across the moving rocks. It was slower than flying, but they no longer had that option.

"C'mon, guys," Jeremy muttered. "I hope Ulrich is okay."

Unfortunately, Ulrich was NOT okay. They'd made it to the emergency burn center at the hospital, but Ulrich's heart beat was slowly fading, his breath rasps. He didn't look like he'd make it much longer.

The group made it to the tower, only to find another beastie for them to battle. It was the same bowling ball they had seen during their first encounter.

"I'll get it," Odd said in a singsong voice. As it began to open, he leapt on top of it. He shot a laser arrow right into its 'eye', and jumped away as it exploded. Aelita hurried forward and into the tower, walking through the bottom. She was once again surrounded by the faint blue light. Stepping forward, she walked to the middle of the eye on the floor.

Natalie was suddenly at Jeremy's side.

"Oh, God, Jeremy, is Aelita okay?"

"She's fine," he said. "Odd saved her. She's in the tower now." Natalie breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good."

The monitor checking Ulrich's heart rate suddenly started beating frantically. His heart rate was quickly receding. The nurses and a doctor rushed to his side.

The blue screen popped up before her.

Name? It asked. Aelita, Aelita typed in. Code? Lyoko.

Jeremy grinned and pressed a button.

"Return to the past, now." White light washed over the factory, the school, and the scene at the hospital. Ulrich was still alive, if barely.

**R&R! Also, I'm fixing one of the chapters finally. I'll update soon!**


	9. Chapter 9: XANA Returns

**Hi, me again. Really sorry about the wait! The next chapter will be the last, and it will be out before Christmas. In fact, it will be out on a specific day that will be mentioned at the end. Sorry if this is a little rushed, but try to enjoy!**

**Chapter Nine: X.A.N.A. Returns**

"You ARE okay, right?" Odd asked Ulrich, yet again. "You don't have the burns anymore?" Ulrich just shook his head.

"Still," Jeremy said, "this is bad news. Whenever X.A.N.A. attacks, he's going to be trying to kill people. That means we've really gotta be quick about getting him shut down."

"Aw, it's not that bad, Jeremy," Odd replied, waving off the comment. "Besides, when you do the return to the past thing, everyone will be all back to normal. Right?"

"Maybe," Jeremy replied, but not enthusiastically. "And I'm not sure that I want to try it out."

"Oh, calm down," Natalie said. "That's not going to happen. We won't let it."

Everyone was at lunch, enjoying a wonderful meal of… Well, school food. Jeremy already had out his computer, typing while talking to the others. Yumi had gone home for lunch. Suddenly, an screen suddenly appeared on Jeremy's lap top. It was Aelita.

"It's X.A.N.A. again," she said, sounding somewhat harassed. "These pulsations… They're back."

"Right," Jeremy said with a decisive nod. "Odd, Ulrich, you come with me. Natalie, you call Yumi and tell her to meet us there." All three of the other teens nodded, getting up and breaking into two groups.

Natalie ran to her room, where she quickly called Yumi via her cell. The three boys went out into the park, taking the much shorter plumbing route to the factory. It wasn't long before they were inside. They all made it to the elevator, where Jeremy pressed a few buttons. The ascended up to the floor holding the supercomputer, and finally up to the floor with the pods that sent them to Lyoko.

"Alright, guys," Jeremy's voice rang as they climbed inside. "We've gotta do this and do this quick. I'm sending you to the forest region."

Jeremy typed on the computer, bringing up a screen with Ulrich's form in Lyoko.

"Transfer, Ulrich," he said, loud enough for them to hear. "Transfer, Odd," he said when the same screen featuring Odd appeared.

The two instantly found themselves falling. Both landed easily on their feet, taking in their surroundings. It looked mostly like some kind of dense forest, but Aelita was nowhere to be seen.

"Aelita?" Ulrich called out, but there was no answer.

Near the school, a bright blue van sat abandoned next to a street light. No one was walking up and down the street, and the road was abandoned. All three colored lights on the street light lit up brightly before turning an inky black. The black slithered from out of the light bulbs and issued into the air, like some kind of dense smoke. It lowered to the van, squeezing under the hood of the car. Within moments, the engine roared to life, suddenly speeding and swerving down the street.

**Okay, the next chapter will be much longer. Promise.**

**_Next chapter due: _by December 21**


	10. Chapter 10: In Death Do We Part

**I'm warning you all now. The rating was upped from K to T specifically because of this chapter. I highly suggest you do not read it, and instead pretend that this chapter never existed and the ending was happy and everyone survived. Yes, someone dies.**

**Chapter Ten: In Death Do We Part**

For whatever reason, Yumi hadn't answered her cell phone. Natalie was forced to run to her house, if she wanted to get there in time. She was crossing the street right in front of the school when, out of seemingly no where, a car came hurtling down the street. Natalie stood still in the middle of the street, shocked into submission for the moment, until she saw the headlights. They seemed to be glowing an unnatural malevolent yellow, but that wasn't all. The light clearly showed the strange eye that was X.A.N.A.'s sign. With a yelp, she leapt to the side. She hadn't realized just how fast the car had been going, and it ran into her leg. There was a painful crack, and Natalie was thrown to the side of the street. Somehow, through the pain, she was still awake. Had she looked at her leg, she would have seen that her calf was bent double, the bone broken in two.

The car, much to Natalie's relief, rounded a corner, acting as though it had never seen, or hit, her. Her heart skipped a beat when the familiar yellow headlights came back around the corner, and she screamed as the wheels went from black top to grass. Her scream was cut suddenly, and violently, short.

"Aelita!" The samurai shouted once more. "Jeremy, what happened to Aelita?"

"I'm here," came a breathless voice. "We must hurry, we don't know what X.A.N.A. could be up to." The pink haired girl appeared from behind a tree. The boys nodded. All three ran forward.

It wasn't long before they came to the tower. Much to their surprise, there were no monsters guarding it.

"Hey, this makes it easy," Odd said happily. Aelita, on the other hand, wasn't so sure.

"Jeremy, what's going on? Are there no monsters in the area?" The voice that replied was shakey.

"N-no," Jeremy replied. "I'm not getting anything. What's going on?"

"Maybe X.A.N.A. decided to give us a break?" Ulrich asked half heartedly.

"I don't think so," Jeremy said. "Let's hurry and wrap this up, guys. I want to see what X.A.N.A. has been up to."

Finally, Yumi came back from lunch at home. She walked past the ditch next to the road in front of the school, then took a step backwards. There was something in the ditch. Kneeling down, she turned the limp form over and gasped. It was Natalie, a very white, motionless Natalie. She felt the girl's neck, trying to find even a trace of a pulse, but she couldn't feel anything. She was dead. She looked up just in time to see a wall of white light that flashed over the area.

The group again found themselves at lunch, minus one person.

"Where's Natalie?" Odd said, panicked. "What happened? Why isn't she here, too?"

"Don't worry, Odd," Jeremy said. "I'm sure there's nothing…" He was interrupted by the sound of Ulrich's cell phone ring. Ulrich took it out and looked at the caller ID, surprised to see it was Yumi.

"Yumi, what-"

"She's dead, Ulrich! I'm not sure what happened, but she's dead!" It sounded like Yumi was sobbing. All three boys could hear her voice.

"Yumi, calm down. Who's dead?"

"It's Natalie. I-I was coming back home from lunch, and I found her dead in a ditch."

"X.A.N.A.," Jeremy hissed. "That's why there were no monsters! He'd already done what he'd intended- Kill Natalie!" While Ulrich tried to soothe Yumi, Odd stood up suddenly. His eyes were wide open in complete disbelief. Jeremy gave him a look of worry.

"Odd, are you-" Odd completely ignored him. At that moment, Jim walked by. Odd stopped the over weight Physical Education teacher.

"Jim, have you seen Natalie?" He asked.

"Natalie?" Jim replied with a confused look. "I don't believe there's anyone by that name enrolled in this school…" Odd didn't wait to hear more. He ran, out of the cafeteria and to his room. Jeremy sat, stunned. Everyone had forgotten about Natalie? What was going on?

He sat at the table, even as Ulrich finally got up from the table and left. It was just as he thought… If anyone died, returning to the past could not bring them back. Worse, if return to the past was activated, the person is completely forgotten…

Jeremy finally climbed to his feet and returned to his own room, to break the news to Aelita and to grieve. She'd been his very first friend, after all.

**This is the last chapter. There will be no more until I start the sequel during the summer vacation. I am bringing Natalie 'back from the dead', so to speak, and it will take place within the new season. For now, I wanted to give a few reasons for my killing Natalie off.**

**For one, this is a prologue to the T.V. show, and Natalie is not in the T.V. show. Also, it explains in the first episode how the returning to the past cannot bring back someone who has died. Natalie's death was used to give a picture to this, to show how they know. Also, it wasn't just on a whim that I was going to kill off Natalie. I had been planning to do it since I started writing this fic, which may be why I took my time finishing it. Now, though, it's done, and I hope you've enjoyed the majority of Anything But Ordinary.**


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